Tuesday, 5 February 2013

It has been an important week for me. I rarely watch television news as
it’s too depressing, but on Thursday I tuned in by chance to watch the
BBC. I immediately saw images of Pakistanis fill my screen. Not the
usual rock hurling Pakistanis, irrationally shouting amidst flaming
tyres, but gentle candle-lighting, beautiful Pakistanis with words of
love and peace on their lips. It was UN International day of the Girl
Child and the BBC chose to illustrate this with a story of what they
termed a National Awakening in Pakistan,
following the shooting of 14-year-old school girl, Malala Yousafzai. I
was delighted at the apparent 24 hour flip from a narrative of “those
Pakistanis are so barbaric they shoot their own school girls” to one of
hope, resilience, and a more accurate reflection of the millions who
reject such an act.Read moreLittle voice

London: Pakistani teenage activist Malala
Yousafzai, who was shot in the head by the Taliban for advocating
education for girls, will undergo cranial reconstructive surgery within
weeks as part of her long-term recovery, doctors treating her at a
United Kingdom hospital have said.

Yousafzai, 15, was shot in
Pakistan in October, 2012 and was later transferred to the Queen
Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham for specialist treatment and where she
is currently recovering from her injuries.

In a statement, Dr
Dave Rosser, medical director, University Hospitals Birmingham NHS
Foundation Trust, said Malala would undergo cranial reconstruction
surgery in late January or early February as part of her long-term
recovery. Meanwhile, Malala is now likely to secure permanent residence
in the UK after her father was granted a job with the Pakistani
consulate in Birmingham. Read more Malala to have cranial surgery soon

WASHINGTON: A legislation to award the
prestigious Congressional Gold Medal to Malala Yousufzai, the Pakistani
peace activist who was shot in her head by Taliban, has been
reintroduced in the US Congress.

Introduced by Congresswoman
Sheila Jackson Lee, House Resolution (No 60) calls to award
Congressional Gold Medal to Malala in recognition of her devoted service
to education, justice and equality in Pakistan.

Malala, who was
shot in her head last year by Taliban for her girl education campaign,
was discharged from a British hospital on Friday. Noting that Malala is a
symbol of hope in a country long beset by violence and despair, the
resolution says that she represents the future of Pakistan and is the
new face of the country and an advocate for human rights for women.

BIRMINGHAM: Malala Yousafzai has been
discharged from the Queen Elizabeth Hospital. Malala will continue her
rehabilitation at a temporary home.

Malala is a strong young
woman and has worked hard with the people caring for her to make
excellent progress in her recovery," said Dave Rosser, the hospital's
medical director.

"Following discussions with Malala and her medical team, we decided that she would benefit from being at home."

Yousufzai
has already been leaving the hospital on a regular basis on "home
leave" in recent weeks to spend time with her parents and younger
brothers, who have a temporary home in central England, Rosser said.

"During
those visits assessments have been carried out by her medical team to
ensure she can continue to make good progress outside the hospital,"
Rosser said.

Monday, 4 February 2013

As Malala Yousafzai clings to life following a gun attack by the Pakistani Taliban, people around the globe are paying homage to the 14-year-old's bravery in defending her and others' right to an education. One is Abdul Hai Kakar, a former BBC Urdu Service reporter and current Radio Mashaal broadcaster who helped bring Malala's message to the world's attention. I spoke with him recently.

Malala Yousafzai: Malala is the name of 14
years old girl from Swat (Mangora), she has won International Award of
Peace. She is considered as the bright future for Pakistan. The girl has
really shown bravery and has shown the importance and love of Education
in her life. She is now role model for every girl, she is the one who
didn’t afraid of any threat, she is the one who didn’t give up,.

The Pakistani schoolgirl
activist shot in the head by the Taliban has been discharged from a
Birmingham hospital as an inpatient.

Malala Yousafzai, 15, was being treated at Queen Elizabeth
Hospital (QEHB) after being transferred following the attack in October.
She will continue rehabilitation at her family's temporary West Midlands home.
The Taliban said it shot Malala, a campaigner for girls' education, for "promoting secularism".
The shooting, in a school bus, sparked domestic and international outrage.